Mike Scaccia, Ministry Guitarist, Dies at 47

Mike Scaccia, guitarist for long-running metal act Ministry, died at the age of 47 on Saturday night (Dec. 22).

According to Rolling Stone, Scaccia collapsed onstage during a performance at the Rail Club in Fort Worth, Tex. on Saturday night. Al Jourgensen, the lead singer of Ministry, confirmed that Scaccia had passed away in a Facebook post on Sunday.

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"I just lost my lil' brother and my best friend - the 13th Planet compound is devastated, completely in shock and shattered," Jourgensen wrote in a message to fans. "Mikey was not only the best guitar player in the history of music, but he was a close, close, close part of our family - and I just lost a huge chunk of my heart today. Our lives are forever changed. Life without Mikey is like orange juice without pulp - kind of bland. I have no words to express what this guy meant to me, my family, my career. . . . everything! ... Rest in peace my brother, my friend, my heart. Please pray for Mike Scaccia and Jenny, his wife and their children, and his family."

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Scaccia was originally a member of metal outfit Rigor Mortis, which formed in 1983 and led to Jourgensen recruiting the guitarist to be a part of Ministry in 1989. His first full-length appearance for the best-selling collective was on the 1992 album Psalm 69: The Way To Succeed and the Way To Suck Eggs. Scaccia reunited with Rigor Mortis in 2003, and also contributed to Ministry's latest album, Relapse, which was released last March.

Along with Ministry and Rigor Mortis, Scaccia appeared on recordings by Revolting Cocks, Lard and Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters. Saturday night's performance was reportedly a 50th birthday celebration for Bruce Corbitt, the singer of Rigor Mortis.

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